Hi we are travelling from Scottsdale to San Diego is it worth stopping over in Palm Springs and if so would one night be enough. We will be there in May, can anyone recommend somewhere nice to stay, we will not be golfing but are travelling with a teenage daughter so maybe shopping
Travelling to San DiegoPalm springs is a nice place to stop, as long as the weather is pre-summer. May is right on the cusp of the heat, so be forewarned. It may be 70 degrees in San Diego at that time, but PS is like Phoenix....hot.
The Cabazon and Desert Hills Premium are the two big outlet malls right off the freeway. There are also some upscale shops on their version of main street.
www.giveintothedesert.com/listings/index.cfm…
Can%26#39;t speak to hotels...I always stay with relatives.
Travelling to San DiegoWe liked our stay at A Place in the Sun.
www.aplaceinthesunhotel.com.
Close to restaurants and dt PS.
Palm Springs is not exactly on the way to San Diego via the best route to San Diego. Like Scottsdale, it has too many hotels to make recommendations without knowing a lot more. There is a beautiful back country drive from Palm Springs to San Diego ... no freeways and lots of scenery.
Scottsdale to San Diego directly is only 5.5 hours driving .... Loop 202 to I-10 to Hwy 85 ';cutoff'; to Gila Bend and I-8, I-8 to San Diego.
I agree with bobbear that it there is quite a range of hotels/resorts in Palm Springs so if you want a more specific price range or type hotel let us know, otherwise here are my recommendations. First of all a little info: I live just north of San Diego and have spent a great deal of my life there, we also live less than an hour from Palm Springs and love it greatly (in fact we honeymooned there), and Scottsdale has been our vacation destination for the past 4 years and will be again this summer (I know Scottsdale in July?!?) so I%26#39;ve got some insgiht for you. The other thing is that Palm Springs is also like Scottsdale in that in AZ you have Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe Cave Creek, etc. that all blend togther and in CA you have Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, La Quinta, etc. So please understand that Palm Springs proper is not all there is to it. And there are different vibes in each part of the area. (so if you were to search PS here on Trip you could miss a lot of options. Palm Springs is mostly small 50s-60s style hotels and Palm Desert is mostly larger resorts) So that said, as far as someplace that fits your criteria so far:
1.Maybe ONE night.......so you%26#39;re not looking for a destination resort necessarily (ie Desert Springs)
2.Someplace nice.....(be careful here, PS proper is mostly a mid-century area and that means someplaces have become ';cool'; again and many others are just dumps)
3. No golfing....in PS?......me neither
4. Teenage daughter (shopping) Three (no, four different worlds of shopping the PS area) And all three have their appeal. Downtown PS (Palm Canyon Dr.) is lots and lots of boutiques that have for the most part come full circle to be ';in'; again. You will find the men%26#39;s stores selling bright red pants and white shoes, but you will also find something for everyone, even your daughter. Secondly, Palm Desert is where the mall is. Next, also in Palm Desert is El Paseo (your daughter will love it) it is the desert%26#39;s version of Rodeo Dr. And the last type of shoppping is the outlets in Cabazon (just north of PS, but close.)
So lots of shopping, lots of golf %26amp; tennis if you were looking for that, and lots!!! of pools. But as far as anything else unique to PS if you are also going to Scottsdale.....the only other thing would be the Tram. It goes up San Gregornio and it%26#39;s an amazing view, worth doing. But mostly PS is about chilling, and shopping, and golf. IF your going to do your chilling in Scottsdale, then my recommendation would be stay maybe two nights. Roll into town, walk Palm Canyon Dr the first afternoon/evening (eat at one of the street side tables at Las Casuelas and people watch, it%26#39;s almost as good as Hollywood) and then enjoy your pool that evening (you will be able to in May), then relax the next day shopping in Palm Desert and maybe the outlets and not have to rush off.
As far as where to stay, here are my suggestions. Because you are also going to AZ, leave the ';resort'; experience for that, Scottsdale%26#39;s are much better. On the other hand, no one does classic 60%26#39;s Hollywood Chic better than PS (as long as it%26#39;s been maintained). The best of the bunch are:
Old Ranch Inn- $150/night range, won ';Best Hidden Gem'; award on TA
Desert Hills Hotel- same price range, similar place
Ingleside Inn- A little more, maybe $180/night, but my pick of the three. It is a classic private residence turned into a boutique inn. When we were there on our honeymoon so was Belinda Carlisle (as in GoGos...I know it dates me) but they pamper you and Melvyn%26#39;s Restaurant on site was voted one of the 10 best in the world, and it is without being over the top.
All three of these are small, within walking distance of shopping on Palm Canyon and are the classic Palm Springs experience. You will love them and your daughter will think they are uber-cool. If you are looking for more of a resort, try Zoso in downtown PS, also a very upbeat place, or my other favorite Esmeralda in Indian Wells.
Okay, I%26#39;ll stop now..let us know if you want any more info.
Palms Springs is interesting, the tram ride is great fun and the outlet stores have good shopping. However, since your destination is San Diego, I would not go that way at all.
Take I-10 west from Phoenix to Buckeye, go south on Hwy 85 to Gila Bend, then west on I-8 through Yuma to San Diego. Considerably shorter trip and you miss all the traffic thru to Los Angeles. Spend the extra time in the San Diego area. Many things to do there, great shopping, wonderful beaches, Balboa Park and Zoo, outstanding museums and restaurants.
Many thanks to all readers who answered my question. You have left me with a lot of interesting information. Also does anyone know the best area to stay in San Diego as i do not know the area at all. My husband does like the marinas and we would like to go to Sea World as well, can any one recommend a nice resort/hotel.
Try posting your San Diego questions on the California forum. There are many nice places to stay in the San Diego area, just depends on what you like and how much you are willing to pay.
For the most part, for out of towners, the two best areas to stay are either downtown (so you are close to the Gaslamp, Seaport Village and shopping) or Mission Bay (close to SeaWorld).
My suggestions on hotels usually lean towards something with a local flavor as opposed to a classic chain hotel. So for downtown I would recommend of The Omni- very cool high-rise downtown type. In Mission Bay I would suggest the Bahia. You will find the hotels on the bay pricier for the same ammenities, so be careful.
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